Kendrick Lamar Covers The Style Issue Of GQ Magazine

King Kendrick Lamar sat down with Rick Rubin to have a unique 1-on-1 that focuses on the Compton MC’s mind state and thought process while he creates some of the most powerful music of this generation.

Here’s what he had to say about his #BlackLivesMatter protest anthem “Alright”:

“I was sitting on that record for about six months. That beat’s Pharrell. And between my guys Sam Taylor and Pharrell, they would always be like, Did you do it? When you gonna do it? I knew it was a great record––I just was trying to find the spice to approach it… So with Pharrell and Sam asking me––Am I gonna rock on it? When I’m gonna rock on it?––it put the pressure on me to challenge myself. To actually think and focus on something that could be a staple in hip-hop. Eventually, I found the right words. You know, it was a lot going on, and still, to this day, it’s a lot going on. And I wanted to approach it as more uplifting––but aggressive. Not playing the victim, but still having that We strong, you know?